A data center is a dedicated space that houses a centralized computing infrastructure. It requires specialized power, cooling, and security systems to function.
They must also incorporate backup components to prevent outages caused by utility power disruptions. These backups are usually diesel or natural gas-powered, with various tier ratings.
On-Premises
Many organizations build on-premise data centers to control their information, infrastructure, and applications. This can benefit businesses with proprietary information or strict compliance requirements that need to be addressed through their IT systems. However, if your business is looking for a more flexible solution, you’ll want to consider colocation or a managed service platform.
On-premises data centers can be expensive due to their extensive hardware needs and complex configurations. They also require hands-on hardware maintenance, which includes replacing drives and modifying configurations, and handling power and upkeep of the buildings that house the data center. This can be inefficient for businesses that need to be agile, as it requires a lot of time and money to make even minor changes to the IT infrastructure.
On-premises data centers offer a high degree of customization that can be tailored to your specific IT needs. They’re also highly secure, as only your IT team will have access to the equipment and data stored within them. However, on-premises data centers can be limited in their performance and capacity by hardware limitations and the need to manage space, power, and cooling needs. Additionally, it may be difficult to expand or relocate when your business is increasing. If you’re considering a traditional on-premises data center, it’s essential to carefully view all of these factors to ensure the system is the right fit for your business.
Off-Premises
Data centers must be able to process massive amounts of data and have networking capabilities that ensure business apps can be accessed. Depending on the types of data centers, and business needs, they can be hosted on-premises (on-prem), where the organization owns and manages IT infrastructure, or off-premises, where third-party service providers work network architecture and data storage (colocation).
Off-premises data center capabilities typically include hosting servers and other IT hardware off-site. In this configuration, the equipment is purchased by businesses, who pay colocation providers for space, power, cooling, and bandwidth. This type of data center can benefit companies with specific IT requirements or applications that cannot be moved to the cloud for security and compliance reasons.
Scaling quickly and efficiently is also a common benefit of off-premises data centers. Businesses can purchase additional hardware from the colocation provider to increase data center capacity as their needs grow. This capability can be further enhanced by using cloud integration tools, such as Infrastructure-as-a-Service and Platform-as-a-Service offerings, that provide instant access to cloud resources. Additionally, a hybrid data center approach may be used to combine an on-premises data center with the capability of public cloud services to increase network capacity and address geographic expansion. This is known as a WAN data center or multi-cloud data center.
Virtual
The virtualization revolution by cloud computing influences all aspects of IT, including data centers. In a virtual data center, the physical infrastructure is removed and replaced with software-based building blocks that are standardized on industry-standard components and can be customized to suit specific requirements.
This approach combines the best of both worlds: it provides the control and customization of a traditional data center while enabling businesses to leverage the flexibility of cloud services. The virtualization of a data center allows firms to increase the capacity of their IT infrastructure quickly and scale it according to business needs without having to purchase and install additional hardware and equipment.
In a virtual data center, networking, storage, and servers use software-based technology to create an elastic, adaptive resource pool that can quickly respond to dynamic workloads. IT administrators can also manage the entire virtual data center environment from a single console and efficiently allocate resources, automating the process and freeing time to focus on more strategic projects.
A virtual data center can be hosted on-premises or through a private or public cloud environment. In the latter case, it is often managed by a third-party provider, which can also host other infrastructure services like IT as a Service (IaaS) or Platform as a Service (PaaS). A virtual data center is also compatible with legacy applications and allows for faster disaster recovery thanks to its local storage capabilities.
Cloud
Modern businesses must rely on data centers for their computational, network, and business applications. They also need to store this data safely and securely. However, the hardware and software required to build these systems is costly. That’s why choosing the right solution for your business is essential.
A physical data center is a dedicated space where application servers and storage devices operate, protected from the elements in a locked-away room. While this system can be cost-effective, it’s also a complex setup that requires a skilled in-house IT department to manage and maintain. A more efficient alternative is a cloud data center, which enables companies to rent space within colocation or managed offerings from third-party providers.
A cloud data center shares resources through a secure configuration that ensures all applications can be accessed when needed. This enables organizations to scale their operations without unnecessary investments in additional hardware. They also have a safety arrangement in case of disaster, with multiple copies of data and applications located at remote locations worldwide. These features make cloud solutions more appealing for many businesses than traditional on-premise data centers. But a conventional data center may still be the best choice for companies prioritizing data ownership, control, and security. These systems can be supplemented with cloud resources, allowing an on-prem data center to process sensitive information and a cloud solution.